Colts Notebook: Will Sauce Gardner Play Sunday In Berlin?
INDIANAPOLIS – Passports are ready, and a tad saucy, as the Colts (7-2) head to Berlin in Week 10.
With new cornerback Sauce Gardner in the building, the Colts were back to work on Wednesday as they prepare for the Falcons (3-5) on Sunday.
Here is what we learned from the Colts first practice of the week:
-As long as new Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner clears concussion protocol, the plan is for him to make his Indy debut Sunday in Berlin. Gardner missed the Jets Week 8 game due to a concussion, with him resting last week as New York was on a bye. Gardner practiced on Wednesday with the Colts as the hope is he will make it through concussion protocol before Sunday. Even though the Colts are headed to Berlin for Sunday’s game against the Falcons, the week has a good amount of normalcy leading up to departing the states. The Colts aren’t leaving until late Thursday night, so they will have a normal practice day on Wednesday and again on Thursday. Once they land in Berlin on Friday, that’ll be a walk-through, unlike a normal (albeit lighter) practice to close out the week. Are 2 practices enough for Gardner to have a role on Sunday against the Falcons? Yes, the plan is for Gardner to play on Sunday. Could he shadow Drake London, something the Jets have done more with him in 2025? Back in a rainy 2023 game, London had just 1 catch on 5 targets when facing Gardner and the Jets. Because NFL rules mandate that players in concussion protocol don’t speak to the media, Gardner didn’t speak to the media on Wednesday. Another good sign of Gardner playing on Sunday was him not in a red jersey (non-contact) at Wednesday’s practice, a sign he’s close to finishing concussion protocol.
-Why the trade of two first-round picks and AD Mitchell for Gardner? “He’s an unbelievable player,” Shane Steichen said on Wednesday. “To get a bonafide, No. 1 corner in this league…he’s got all the elite traits you look for. He’s elite in coverage. He’s feisty. He’s aggressive…His resume speaks for itself. Pro Bowler. All-Pro. To get a guy in the building like that, it just elevates everybody around us. Really excited to add him to the fold.”
-“At some point he will be ready to go” is how Steichen described the eventual 2025 return of Charvarius Ward (concussion) this season. Currently, Ward has to spend one more week on injured reserve. Ward has recently been observing Colts practices. Technically, Ward is eligible to return from IR following the team’s bye week (at Kansas City on November 23rd). At Wednesday’s practice, Ward was doing some field work with a member of the athletic training staff. What is it like for a play caller facing two legit outside cornerbacks, as the Colts appear to be having with Gardner and Ward? “Very difficult,” Steichen said. “That’s a problem. As an offensive guy, you look at defenses around the league and you go against two elite corners, you have to find ways to free guys up because you know they are going to be sticky in coverage. It’s great for our football team to have those two guys, along with the other guys we got there (Jaylon) Jones, (Mekhi) Blackmon, Kenny (Moore II), (Cam) Bynum, and (Nick) Cross. To add him to the fold of what we’ve got back there is huge for our football team.” Steichen added the arrival of Gardner should aid the team’s pass rush and the amount of options open to Lou Anarumo.
-The AD Mithcell era ends in Indy after a year and a half of ample hype. The Colts staff, and the team’s own wideouts, have been universal in describing the uber talent of Mitchell. But his unreliability, along with a dependable receiver room around him, led to Mitchell having just 32 catches for 464 yards in 25 career games. Following Mitchell dropping the ball at the goal line in Week 4 against the Rams, he played a total of 24 snaps in 5 games (including a healthy inactive in Week 6). “Obviously, I have a lot of respect for AD and I think AD is a very talented player,” Steichen said on Wednesday. “This part of the business. I wish him all the best and I hope he goes and has great success.”
-The Colts are still without 3 guys that missed last week’s loss to the Steelers as DE-Samson Ebukam (knee), DL-Tyquan Lewis (groin), WR/KR/PR-Anthony Gould (knee). All 3 missed Wednesday’s first practice of the week. Along with those 3, DeForest Buckner (neck), Kenny Moore II (Achilles), Michael Pittman Jr. (glute) and Matt Goncalves (personal) all missed practice on Wednesday.
-A lot was made about the Jonathan Taylor usage from Sunday’s loss to the Steelers. Taylor had 14 carries in the game, none coming in the final quarter as the Colts were in full throw model. The 14 carries a slightly smaller amount than Taylor’s 2025 average. Shane Steichen did say earlier this week he could have given Taylor a couple more carries. For me, the effectiveness in those 14 carries though (2.9 yards per carry) was the true story for the Colts run game last weekend.
-This marks the 3rd time the Colts have played a game overseas, but the first time as the home team. In 2016, it was the Jaguars giving up a home game to play the Colts in London (Jaguars win). In 2023, it was the Patriots giving up a home game to play the Colts in Frankfurt (Colts win). And now it’s the Colts giving up 1 of their 9 home games to host the Falcons for the first ever NFL game in Berlin. As the home team, the Colts got the first pick of hotels, practice facility, etc over in Berlin. They will also have control over the in-game entertainment. Remember, the Colts have their bye following the game in Berlin.
-As we shift gears to Colts and Falcons in Week 10, the Falcons are 3-5 with one of the worst point differentials in the NFC. And while the Falcons are reeling after 3 straight losses, Atlanta is a team with some impressive individual talent. Atop that list are dynamic skill players in Bijon Robinson and Drake London. As Lou Anarumo pointed out earlier this week, the Colts need to have one of their best tackling games of the season to avoid an upset. The Colts are hovering around a touchdown favorite for Sunday.
-Reminder, the Colts and Falcons will kick at 9:30 AM on Sunday. The game will air on NFL Network, with FOX-59 picking up the game locally.
